Working Collaboratively - SWOT ANALYSIS



Think-Pair-Share: Use the SWOT analysis below to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of working collaboratively to improve student learning. Staff may use the stimulus reading material below to their thinking and subsequent discussion.

|STRENGTHS |

|What are the positives about working collaboratively |

|Draw on the strengths of colleagues. |Ideas are shared |

|Share good practice. |Feedback |

|Experience new ideas and different ways of doing things. |Hearing and benefiting from all individuals skills, opinions, ideas etc |

|“a problem shared is a problem halved”. |Encourage each other along the way |

|Make things easier |Helping others in the team who are stuck/ or fall behind |

|Boost further compared when you work alone |Sharing of knowledge |

|A wider perspective from range of people(teachers) |Quicker and easier to achieve when working in a team |

|Continuous learning through benchmarking(from peers) thereby improving and further developing teaching methodologies |Taking turns to do the hard yards or distributing tasks |

|Two heads are better than one |Stand together in good times |

|More people create light work |Share strategies & learn from each other; help each other; support colleagues |

|You don’t have to work as hard individually |Learn about strategies, approaches and content from across the curriculum, broaden range of techniques |

|You learn something and get new ideas |Process will verify what we do well |

|You might get some constructive feedback |“In a multitude of counsellors there is wisdom” |

|You work harder |Not one individual can have all the answers in a field like education |

|Makes you reflect on your teaching practices |Focus/direction of all is established |

|Support for each other & encouragement (2) |Wealth of knowledge and experience |

|Work more productively efficiently |Culture of ‘OK to take risks’ = increased confidence |

|Complement each other strengths |Increase student learning outcomes |

|Allows us to analyse and improve practice. |Stimulates ideas and creativity |

|Share responsibility for the common good |Helps whole school cultural shift = more positive |

|Opportunity for reflection and feedback |Synergy |

|Reduced workload |Energising and inspiring |

|Variety of ideas |Many hands make light work |

|New methods |Moral support |

|Sense of achievement | |

|make it individually. | |

|Lessens the workload for team members | |

|The team can support its team members who are struggling. | |

|Share the roles within the team, so that the experiences of the different roles are not dominated by one person or a | |

|small group within the larger team. | |

|Compare what works well and what has not, modifying as needed. | |

|Trialling and modifying work quicker | |

|OPPORTUNITIES |

|What opportunities exist for staff working collaboratively? |

| | |

|Can get some different types of ideas different KLAs |Observe other people |

|Can try team ideas again if it didn’t work the first time |Share the workload |

|When we work in KLA’s you can get great ideas/strategies from other colleagues. (variety in presenting information) |Acknowledge others strengths and own weaknesses. |

|But you can also discuss what worked and what didn’t. |The opportunity to share their knowledge or area of expertise |

|Opportunity for self- reflection by discussing what works and what doesn’t. |The opportunity to learn from other knowledge and expertise |

|A pair works well when collaborating as you can get a lot more done than when there is a bigger group |The opportunity to carry out different rolls or tasks within the team |

|Sharing physical spaces (offices). |Lead discussions and provide feedback |

|Common teaching times within KLA’s. |To meet new people |

|Theme based learning. |To be inspired and refreshed |

|KLA / CWT / House meeting time. |See other teaching strategies |

|Consistency across school curriculum when same units are being taught (eg. Year 8 English). |Brainstorming |

|Opportunity to improve the personal relationship thereby improving the person’s wellbeing. |Learning |

|Improve your own teaching efficacy ( how successful/effective you are) |Improving as a teacher |

|Improve relationships with students |Getting feedback on our performance in relation to assessment, feedback & data |

|Broaden understanding on the topic |Could use CRT’s so staff who are blocked on together can view other classes |

|More feedback |intellectual and social benefits of working collaboratively |

|Working with different people |another perspective |

|Learning new things |‘Accidental’ (incidental?) conversations with colleagues you might not talk to otherwise |

|Constructive criticism |CWT meetings |

|Learn from others |Can recognise what we are already doing |

|Professional Development |New ideas and strategies |

|Creating or working on new projects |Develop and extend staff relationships |

|Opportunity to work with different people |Have fun |

|Different strengths are brought to meetings |Good time for reflection |

|Time for multiple intelligences to shine. |Active/responsive – time to refine |

|Get to know different staff and their strengths. |Use problem solving strategies |

|Share workload |Opportunity to try new ideas and different roles |

| |Observe other team members |

| |Working with people outside the KLA |

| |Bringing ideas to the team |

| | |

|WEAKNESSES |

|What are the negatives about working collaboratively? |

|Finding the time to collaborate. |. |

|Establishing structures and processes to facilitate collaboration. |If there are people in the group who do not pull their own weight |

|It can seem like extra work (at the time). |If there are people who do not have the same goals as the team |

|Not every group member contributes equally. |People who are constantly negative |

|At times, people prefer to work by themselves. |People who try to take charge and control the team |

|Dealing with personality types and teaching styles |KLA CLASSROOMS ARE TOO SPREAD OUT MAKES COLLABORATION DIFFICULT |

|Translating the different formative styles across the subject areas Sometimes not everyone puts in the same amount of |Not everyone will necessarily carry their weight |

|effort |Sometimes leadership is needed to ‘sort’ through the offerings suggested |

|Sometimes people over power others |‘Quite’ team members may not feel comfortable in front of group sharing (need to overcome by building rapport and |

|Another meeting! |trust in colleagues) |

|Too many cooks spoil the broth |Time for all to contribute equally (need time keeper to manage) |

|Some people work better/quicker independently |People not preparing for meetings and commitments |

|People may bring a negative attitude which impacts on all |Can be an inefficient/annoying/negative culture |

|Can go off track |End of the day – can be tired/had a bad class etc |

|You may not agree with what is being done.(2) |May feel uncomfortable sharing |

|Some members may dominate. |Some take longer to complete tasks tan others |

|Some staff may feel intimidated |Negative Groupthink. |

|Some staff may not feel comfortable with assigned roles. |One person or groups of people may dominate. |

|Personalities may clash |Difficulty in coordinating all team members due to time constraints. |

|May prefer to work alone |Unequal load sharing -- a few members doing most of the work. |

|THREATS |

|What are some potential difficulties / obstacles / problems that we need to plan for |

|Members may now wish to work on the same thing |PERSONALITY CLASHES |

|May have to work on a project that is not personally engaging |TIME CONSTRAINTS |

|Having enough time and space to effectively work together. |WORK LOAD EXPECTATIONS MAKING NEGATIVE RECEPTION OCASSIONALLY |

|Takes time from limited preparation time. |Philosophical differences can lead to tension; some people might have a difference of opinion |

|Negative approaches |Difficult to compromise on priorities |

|Unwillingness to participate |Finding time to meet, visit classes, etc. Can narrow the range of what we achieve in the classroom |

|Individual weaknesses can be exposed. |Might be compelled to adopt ideas we are not completely comfortable with |

|Unforeseen absences of team members |Timetabling |

|Unwilling team members |Resistance from staff; going over stuff the we already do habitually |

|Lack of familiarity with different KLA operation and curriculum |Staff members can see it as yet another new idea and then do not try it but rather give up before they have had a good|

|Negative mindsets |go at it. |

|People who do not turn up or arrive late etc (explicitly make everyone aware of times and accountable for situations |Can often aim for the middle (mediocrity) |

|when they are away) |Can add stress into your work with other people “watching” you. |

|People who don’t want to be involved (talk to them in a positive and encouraging level and ask them to either get on |Some people do not work well together on topics. They have different ideas and agendas and it just does not work. |

|board or discuss them leaving the group if they are going to be continuously effecting the team) |If it not “useful” time staff can get annoyed at yet another wasted meeting |

|Negatively motivated attitudes (explain and try to make them understand the reason for the team and how it will |Personality differences / clashes. |

|benefit them and the institution/ hopefully turning their attitudes around) |Timetabling (colleagues unable to meet / collaborate). |

|Being part of a team where there are members who clash (carryout some mediation between the two/ if that doesn’t work |Time element |

|get them working on different areas within the team) |Fixed mindset( refusal to adapt to change) – Need paradigm change |

|Getting side tracked |People overpowering the meetings |

|Formal Assessment for reports can take over as a priority in assessment and time |Tall poppy syndrome |

|Reluctance to share |Not time to do properly (the prep for the meeting) then the meeting becomes pointless |

|Exposed = judged/feel inadequate | |

|Conflicting personalities | |

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